On the Right Path The News let ter of the South ern Mary land Emmaus Com mu nity

Transcription

1 On the Right Path The News let ter of the South ern Mary land Emmaus Com mu nity 2nd Quarter 2016 Walk In the Light Vol ume 16 Is sue 2 Lead er ship De vel op ment Event Spon sored by South ern Mary land Emmaus This event will be pre sented by The Up per Room Walk to Emmaus North east Re gional Lead er ship Team. On Friday, July 22 from 1:00 pm-5:00 pm there will be training for Clergy. On Sat ur day, July 23 la ity train ing will be of fered. Registration will be held from 8:30-9:00 am, fol lowed by train ing from 9 am to 5 pm. Nichols-Bethel United Meth od ist Church 1239 Murray Road Odenton, Mary land The La ity train ing in cludes six train ing blocks, four of which are stan dard and are pre sented at ev ery event: Board of Di rec tors, Fourth Day/Next Steps, Spon sor ship, Clergy-La ity Part ner ship There will be two ad di tional ses sions as cho sen by four com - mu ni ties: Ches a peake, Delmarva and East ern Shore, and South ern Mary land. There will be a com plete agenda closer to the time of the event. La ity and Clergy are wel come to come to ei ther or both train ing ses sions. There will be light re fresh - ments, snacks and drinks pro vided, in clud ing Con ti nen tal Break fast items and lunch on Saturday. It is a great honor to host this event which will be held con ve - niently within our com mu nity. It is an op por tu nity to con verse di rectly with our Re gional Lead er ship Rep re sen ta tives and to meet and ex change ideas with peo ple from three other com mu - ni ties. Hav ing at tended two of these events per son ally, I. Southern Maryland Emmaus Gathering "Dad, You are the Best" June 18, 2016 Potluck at 5:00 p.m. Gathering at 6:00 p.m. at Good Shepherd UMC 305 Smallwood Drive Waldorf, Maryland Bring Friends, Fam ily, Neighbors. Everyone Welcome! See Leadership page 14

2 2017 Walks - West River Men's Walk #55 April Women's Walk #56 May 4-7 Make plans to at tend the com mu nity events for each walk: Thurs day - Spon sor s Hour - 7:00 p.m. Sat ur day - Can dle light - 8:00 p.m. Sunday - Closing - 4:00 p.m. Sign up to pray for our walks (and oth ers) online at: Pil grim and Team Ap pli ca tions and this news let ter may be down loaded from the web at CLICK on Doc u ments, Lists and News let ters Mailing Address for Southern Maryland Emmaus P.O. Box 343 White Plains, MD Upcoming Events of the Southern Maryland Emmaus Community June 18: Gathering, Good Shepherd UMC - Dad, You Are the Best July 16 - Gathering - Happy Birthday, America August 20 - Gathering - Summer Fun in the sun Note: All Gatherings will be at Good Shepherd UMC - Waldorf 4th Day Sem i nars Sem i nars are held in the spring fol low ing the men s and women s walks. The next sem i nar date will be announced in a future issue. At ten dance at a Fourth Day Sem i nar is re quired in or der to spon sor pilgrims, and is highly rec om mended for those who wish to team. 2

3 Emmaus Shorts Alright, now everyone, relax. I'm not going to be posting pictures of me wearing rainbow colored shorts pants. GQ Magazine has requested that I keep my legs fully covered at all times. "Emmaus Shorts" is just the new name for my quarterly column of observations. I'm told change is good. By the time you read this, I will have finished my shift serving at the Emmaus Information Table at the Baltimore/Washington Conference. As I was preparing for this duty, I realized that those of us who would be representing our community were serving very much as disciples. That got me to thinking about what the disciples must have done as they traveled about with Jesus. Do you suppose that the disciples might have set up tables in the marketplaces of the towns and villages they visited? Would they have shared information about the ministry of Jesus and encouraged others to join them? Now to be sure, I'm not comparing my efforts at promoting Emmaus with the work of Jesus - after all, he performed miracles. Wait, I did successfully navigate Washington D.C. traffic, found parking, and made it to the conference on time. That was a bit of a minor miracle, wouldn't you say? Still, in many ways what we were trying to do, in our own small way, was share to share the love of God with our brothers and sisters. We wanted those from other churches to realize the ways in which a program like the Walk to Emmaus can help to build church leaders. Jesus won followers though the power of his personality, and through the honesty with which he lived his life. You and I as his followers, can continue winning converts by striving to emulate that genuineness. As I spoke with those who stopped to visit our table, I hope they were able to see Jesus reflected just a bit in me. I hope the values of Emmaus were obvious in the way I interacted with them, and I hope they will consider bringing the Emmaus program to life in their churches. It was an honor and a pleasure to represent The Southern Maryland Emmaus Community for a few hours. Next year, why not join us. Right now the temperature outside is a balmy 88 degrees, and so I'm going to revisit the promise I made at the beginning of this column. I'm putting on the rainbow shorts. I'm feeling cooler already. - Dan Brennan Note: I'd like to thank Jan Drass for arranging and setting up this opportunity for our community, and all of those who devoted their time and talents to serve. On the Right Path Dead line for next is sue is August 10, The pre ferred method of sub mis sion is as an MSWord doc u ment file or a WordPerfect file (.rtf file also ac cept able) sent via- to the fol low ing ad dress: dbrennan6@verizon.net. Very short ar ti cles or notes may be sent in the body of the mes sage. Please send your com ments and rec om men da tions as well to the ed i tor, Dan Brennan, at the ad dress above. "On the Right Path" is pub lished by the South ern Mary land Emmaus Com mu nity. Dan Brennan Ed i tor. 3

4 Southern Maryland Emmaus - Leadership & Service Re sources on Our Web Site Visit for these and other com mu nity re sources: Southern Maryland Emmaus Leadership Roster & Board of Directors Southern Maryland Emmaus Prayer Points of Contact (PPOC) Prayer Coordinator Jan Drass jdrass@maranatha.net On The Right Path This is the newsletter of the Southern Maryland Emmaus Community. It is published quarterly, available on line at our website: The link to the newsletter is ed to community members through PPOCs. If you do not have a PPOC, contact Jan Drass at jdrass@maranatha.net South ern Mary land Emmaus is af fil i ated with the In ter na tional Emmaus Move ment of The Up per Room, Nash ville, Tn. Emmaus is a pro gram of fer ing of the Upper Room International Walk to Emmaus Office. Our pur pose is to in spire, chal lenge, and equip church mem bers for Chris tian Ac tion. Board Decision on Walks A few months ago the Board of Directors made a decision that is in need of a bit of background information and explanation. Some informal discussion at the April mini-gathering may have created confusion or questions in the minds of some community members who heard about comments second or third hand. So, to provide clear information to everyone, we would like to share more detailed information. After a lot of discussion, the Board voted to reduce the number of Walks to two per year. A number of concerns were discussed and key to this decision. First, there are simply not enough pilgrim applications to support four Walks a year. Second, we have not been able to meet the requirement of 20 pilgrims per Walk. Although the Board voted to hold the Spring 2016 Walks with less that this number, the motion included a statement to be shared with the community- that in the future, there 4 would be a firm commitment to the minimum number of 20 pilgrims per Walk without exception. Third, our experience has been that two to three pilgrims have dropped out just prior to a Walk, resulting in even lower numbers of pilgrims on a Walk that originally agreed upon. Without pilgrim applications in reserve, we are not able to offer these spots to anyone else and may have to pay West River for persons who do not attend. The decision to go to two Walks a year was a proactive decision that was not made lightly or without prayerful consideration. None of the Board members want to cancel Walks. We are aware that many other Emmaus communities are facing a similar problem with pilgrim applications, and many have made a similar decision to reduce the number of Walks offered per year. This See Walks on page 12

5 Southern Maryland Emmaus Community Reunion & Accountability Groups The Reunion Group Coordinator, Priscilla Rollins would like to hear about any active Groups in Southern Maryland. If you are having difficulty finding a Reunion Group, contact Priscilla Rollins. Experience the Fourth Day feeling. Bethel UMC, Up per Marlboro Co-ed - monthly fourth Tuesday - 6:00 p.m. Bowie UMC - Old Town Bowie Co-ed - 1st, 3rd, 4th Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. Cal vary UMC, Wal dorf Men Tues day - 7:00 p.m. Women Wednesday - 5:30 p.m. at Panera Bread in summer; at Calvary during the school year First UMC, Lau rel Men Saturday - 7:00 a.m. Women Sat ur day - 8:30 a.m. First Saints UMC, Leonardtown Women Thursday 5:00 p.m. (home setting) contact Sheila Hanson or Connie Wells Good Shep herd UMC, Wal dorf Co-Ed Mon day 6:00 p.m. at restaurants call Linda Ford Men Wednesday 6:30 p.m. Women Monday 7:30 p.m. Women Tuesday 7:30 p.m. (not at church call for directions) Women Wednesday 6:30 p.m. Women Tuesday 8:45 a.m. (not at church call for directions) Women Thursday 6:00 p.m. Grace Notes Thursdays, 3:00 p.m. Contact Pam Grace La Plata UMC, La Plata Women Thursday 6:00 p.m. at Panera Bread Men Tuesday 6:00 p.m. at the church Lexington Park UMC, Lexington Park Co-ed Tues day 7:30 a.m. Bob Evans Restaurant Co-ed Thurs day 11:30 a.m. (home setting) Linthicum Heights UMC, Linthicum Heights Co-Ed Saturday 8:30 a.m. Liv ing Springs Chris tian Fel low ship, Bowie Co-ed Tues day 6:00 p.m. Na val Air Sta tion, Patuxent River Men Wednes days 11:30 a.m. Nichols-Bethel UMC, Odenton Co-Ed Wednesday 6:30 p.m. Olivet UMC, Lusby Co-Ed 2nd Sunday of the month 12:15 p.m. at Olivet UMC Good News Center Pisgah UMC, La Plata Women Wednesday 6:30 p.m. for information contact Patti Flesher St. Paul UMC, Lusby Women Monday 7:00 p.m. Old Fellowship Hall Men Monday 7:00 p.m. Old Fellowship Hall Mixed Monday 7 or 8 p.m. contact Rich & Mary UIrey or Everett Baker Shiloh UMC, Bryans Road Co-ed Tues days 6:30 p.m. Wa ters Me mo rial UMC, St. Leon ard Pastors House Tuesday 1:00 p.m. 5

6 Spring Men's Walk #53 Spring Women's Walk # 54 6

7 Behind the Scenes Several of us Emmaus sisters took a road trip this spring to Myrtle Beach and while there we made Agape for the spring 2016 Walks. What a blast! I hope it becomes a tradition Fun, food, and fellowship while getting something accomplished. Sitting around with our fingers busy we talked about how blessed we are to have a giving community- one that gives financially and of their time. THANK-YOU! I m sure you will be surprised to see a list of ways that our community members give! We may have missed lots of things but here is a quick list of what we came up with: Colored and blank placemats (and decorating them too) Coffee pods so Agape doesn t have to measure coffee Purple worship book covers (fabric and time to sew them) Two Reunion Groups donated the new candlelight holders Laptop that is used on Walks (donated and now belongs to the Community) Cardstock/colored printing for bed tags and folders Lanyards for crosses Supplies for name buttons, color printing, and time to assemble Printing of the newsletter for Walks Hundreds of Agape items that are distributed during week-ends Agape letters for team members on Walk Storage bins for the trailer Washing of linens, rugs, and towels after each Walk Replenishing supplies after Walk (pens, paper, etc) Coffee cups minimum of 300 are needed per weekend Water and snacks for a weekend (500 bottles of water may be needed for a week-end) Pilgrim scholarship money given by members of the community Emmaus tablecloths for Gatherings Coffee pot to use for week-ends and team meetings Team binders-copying and updating/replacing pages Tie dyed T-Shirts Many hands make light work is so true! You may have heard the expression it takes a village to raise a child well it takes a community to host an Emmaus week-end. THANKS for ALL you do for the Southern Maryland Emmaus Community! -Submitted by Cheryl Merkle, Sheila Hanson, Susan Cunningham and Connie Wells In ter ested in help ing out? Please con tact a Board Mem ber or any of these lovely la dies! These are many ways you can help! 7

8 A Tale of Two More Reunion Groups If you were with me in February, I took a virtual road trip to visit two reunion groups, Nichols-Bethel UMC and the other one in Lexington Park. I had such a great time that I decided to visit a few more reunion groups in the local area. Although I am not a member of the groups I visited, I was warmly welcomed and wanted to share my visit with you! First stop, Pisgah UMC! Patti Flesher told me that her sponsor, Jane Elliott, invited her to a reunion group that she was attending right after her weekend Walk #32 in May Patti told me, I found myself surrounded by brothers and sisters in Christ who were very supportive of me as a new member of their reunion group. The members of this reunion group represented several different churches. After a time, the reunion group had grown to such a size that it was becoming less effective. They decided to split into two reunion groups so that the meetings would be more manageable. Those members who attended Pisgah United Methodist Church (including Patti) decided to begin a new reunion group that would be more conveniently located and hopefully encourage more people to participate in Emmaus in their church. Patti s cur rent reunion group meets at 6:00 pm on Wednes days at Pisgah United Meth od ist Church, 7020 Poor House Road, In dian Head, MD. She told me that they are flex i ble -the meet ing time fluc tu ates a bit if other events are tak ing place at the church. There are nine fe male mem bers and at ten dance var ies de pend - ing upon in di vid ual s sched ules/avail abil ity. Patti tells me, We ve also been blessed to have some drop in at ten dees at dif fer ent times from other re union groups or those that can t make a reg u larly sched uled meet ing else where (ya ll come, all are wel come!). See I told you that I was warmly wel comed! The Pisgah UMC reunion group relies heavily upon the Order of the Reunion card provided during the Emmaus walk. We begin with the Prayer to the Holy Spirit, identify a few areas to discuss (as an example we might choose to review our prayer, study and action for the week and also discuss Discipleship denied), then we close with prayers for others, those in need and offer the Prayer of Thanksgiving, Patti explained. She told me that they occasionally deviate from this practice, and may use the Upper Room Devotion or one of the reading passages in our Purple Worship Book (such as the Examination of Conscience ). In addition, there are times when the Holy Spirit calls us to support 8 one of our brothers or sisters when their week has been especially difficult and trying we are then the hands and feet of Christ. The reunion group primarily does our accountability review however they have met for the purpose of preparing agape for walks such as craft items or providing colorful placemats. We do attempt to stay in contact with our initial reunion group and have enjoyed dinners out to meet with them, including a holiday meal to celebrate the birth of Christ on one occasion, Patti shared. When asked about the main benefit of her reunion group, Patti exclaimed: ONE THING?" Then she went on to say Wow, that s hard because there are countless benefits of being a part of a reunion group! I guess if I have to pick one value, it would be that my reunion group members provide me with honest, earnest, and prayerfully thought out advice and guidance. I can rely upon these individuals to give me straight forward encouragement in a safe environment and to offer up prayers for the issues in my life that I m concerned about or that they see needing some heavenly intervention. This is a priceless treasure in this world where we sometimes have to really search hard to find honesty, truth and love. Wow. Well said. And y all are invited to visit this group! It is worth the trip! Next stop, the Olivet UMC Reunion Group, where Bob Evans told me that he has been a member since 2006 following Walk #19! Over the years, they have met in member s homes as well at the Good News Center at the church. There are 5-6 regular attenders, and others that drop in at times. Like Patti, Bob says the group follows the Order of the Reunion Card when they meet on the second Sunday of the month at 12:15 pm. They have decorated placemats, made agape items, and sponsored men and women on Walks. Bob tells me that they are a supportive group for the Church and provide assistance of various types to the local Lusby community. For example, they help with groups like SMILE (local ecumenical ministry) in Lusby, plus events like the church rummage sales. Around the area they lead or assist with worship at the Solomon s Nursing Center & The Hermitage in Solomons, and the Ripple Center Adult Day Care in Hollywood (St. Mary s Co.), plus Olivet s monthly meal for Project ECHO (homeless shelter) in Prince Frederick. I hope you enjoyed visiting these reunion groups! A huge thanks to my hosts Patti Flesher and Bob Evans. I am already planning my next reunion group road trip let me know if you would like me to stop by and visit your reunion group! - Jan Drass

9 Board Notes The Board meets monthly, and here are the highlights from meetings in February, March and April: Reports are provided by each member of the Board on his/her area of responsibility. After lengthy discussion and consultation with Regional Emmaus representative Mike Crane, the Board voted to no longer provide child care at events. The original intent of providing child care was to give young families with small children an opportunity to attend events. Only one older child has been in child care at gatherings for an extended time, and the cost was thought to not be justifiable for one child. In the meantime, the child care providers contacted the Child Care Coordinator and informed her that they could no longer serve as child care providers. We appreciate and thank Flo and Sandy for providing child care over the years. This decision made be revisited in the future if needs change. Children are welcome to attend the monthly gathering, but must be supervised and with an adult at all times. No children should be brought to candlelight and closing on Walk weekends. Southern Maryland Emmaus provided a display table at Trinity UMC and Nichols-Bethel UMC on February 20 for Leadership Day. A huge thanks to the 3 community members who covered the tables, and for several community members who assisted in providing materials for the display. The Upper Room Covenant Agreement Letter was signed by all Board members and send to Upper Room in Nashville TN. After lengthy discussion and prayer, the Board decided to go forward with Spring walks with less than the minimum number of pilgrims. As part of the motion, it was decided that the community should be made aware of this decision, and that in the future, the minimum number of pilgrims (20) will be required for a walk. Given the difficulty with obtaining the needed number of pilgrims for the Spring walks, and small number of carryover applications, the Board voted to cancel the Fall walks, and offer two Walks per year, with the plan to add weekends if number of pilgrim applications received supports additional Walks. It was noted that all Emmaus communities are dealing with this issue, and many offer one set of Walks per year. An annual audit of the Community s financial records was completed and found to be in good condition. A motion was made and agreed upon by the Board to hold team applications for 3 years. These individuals will be considered for team selection as long as all criteria are met at the time application is being considered. For example, the applicant must still be a member of a reunion group, active in a local church, and have the application signed by their pastor before they will be considered. There is an effort to increase sponsorship by reaching out to new churches in our community. The board is looking for community members for help. Community members at La Plata UMC will be approached to help. There was discussion about holding Open House events for potential pilgrims in The Community Lay Director has received confirmation that Southern Maryland Emmaus will be sponsoring an Upper Room Regional Training event at Bethel-Nichols UMC on July 22 (Clergy training) and 23 (Laity training), All Board and community members, as well as clergy, are encouraged to plan to participate. See the article on page 1 for additional details. The Board voted to have 2 Southern Maryland Emmaus display banners made for use at display tables and events. They were used at our display table at the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference on June 1-4, Many Community members who attended the Conference stopped by the display table, and attended an Emmaus mini-gathering and communion on Thursday June 2, 12:45-1:45 pm in Maryland Suite A. See page 14 for a photo of the exhibit table. -Jan Drass 9

10 Meet a Few of the Pilgrims from Walk #54! After meeting so many of the pilgrims from Walk #53 and 54 at the Fourth Day Seminar on April 23, I decided to contact them and see if anyone would be willing to share some thoughts on their Walk. I asked them to respond to 3 questions: 1) What did the weekend mean to you? 2) How is your Fourth Day going? And 3) How is your life different since Walk #54? In answer to the first question, Tammie Nelson replied quickly and told me, My weekend was amazing and helped me right my ship, so to speak. I had been very complacent in my walk with Christ, and before my walk I realized this, but it took my Walk to get my heart and feet moving forward again. Barbara Merryman also replied quickly, and said, The weekend meant more to me than I can put into words. I felt SO loved by SO many. It was awesome to be surrounded by so many Christian women. Can I get an amen to that! When asked about their Fourth Day, Tammie told me that since her Walk she has been reading a devotion every morning and compiled a toolbox, which is a Longaberger basket filled with a variety of devotional resources including my bible (from my Walk), materials from the Upper Room, a bible dictionary, and several other devotions and resources. I have incorporated praise and worship music back into my morning commute, which make such a difference in how I approach the day. I have made it a point each day (although I have missed a few) to spend time with God and my toolbox. I downloaded a book on prayer and have a goal to grow my prayer life. I have also made a conscious decision to take action on things that the Lord lays on my heart. Barbara told me, My Fourth Day is going great. I was given so many scriptures and words of wisdom on the Walk to Emmaus weekend. Now when I am discouraged, sad, or upset about something, I have so many helpful hints to help solve the problem. It was definitely life changing for me. And lastly, in answer to the question How is your life different since Walk #54, Barbara said, My life is different because the Walk helped me to understand how much Jesus loves me. This makes me think how much he loves other people when I do not share the same thoughts and feelings they are entertaining. Tammie shared that she appreciated all of the agape from my weekend, but two items are invaluable to me: the Fourth Day Forward Devotion and the Fourth Day book. Both of those are good reminders of my weekend, what it meant, and what to do next. We agree! Thank you ladies for sharing with us! We are blessed by your testimony! If you were a pilgrim on Walk #53 or Walk #54 and would like to share the answers to these questions with me, please send me an at jdrass2@comcast.net Like Us on Facebook! Did you know that South ern Mary land Emmaus has a Facebook page? Facebook is a pop u lar free so cial net work ing website that al lows reg is tered us ers to cre ate pro files, up load pho tos and video, send mes sages and keep in touch with friends, fam ily and col leagues, mak ing it a great net work ing tool. The Wall, which is es sen tially a vir tual bul le tin board, pro vides a great way for us to be able to com mu ni cate and share in for - ma tion about events with our friends! Pho tos can be up loaded from the desk top or di - rectly from a smartphone camera as well. 10

11 Pilgrim Applications - Everything You Wanted To Know, But Were Afraid To Ask Many of you may not be aware that there are two Board Members who are responsible for receiving, handling, and processing pilgrim applications, from the time they are received, until that pilgrim s walk is completed. A combination of great organization and communication skills are needed as they interface with multiple Board members, team members, sponsors, pilgrims and more! Who are these Super Heroes? Ellen Bertelsen is serving as the Registrar and Gordon Piscacek as Assistant Registrar for this year! First, a look at what they do! Their official job description is available on line at the Southern Maryland Emmaus website. They receive applications from potential pilgrims, review them for completeness, and must follow-up if information or signatures are missing. They keep a detailed log of applications, and the status of each application. They are also responsible for selecting pilgrims for a Walk according to Upper Room Handbook guidelines and policies set by the Board of Directors, and communicating with sponsors and pilgrims about the details of the Walk. For example, the Registrar provides the pilgrim with a list of what to bring and what not to bring on a Walk weekend. There is a lot of detailed communication with team members, Board members and others prior to the walk as well. They also maintain a waiting list of applications for future walks. You can see why this job requires excellent organization and communication skills! I caught up with Ellen and Gordon recently to ask them a few questions that I wanted to share with you! First question I asked: What are the most common problems you see with pilgrim applications? Both Ellen and Gordon agreed on this one - The most common problem is receiving late pilgrim applications. Pilgrims are selected for the walk several weeks prior to a scheduled walk so the team for the walk can start working on the things that need to be put in place to ensure a wonderful and fulfilling walk for each pilgrim. There is a lot of behind the scenes work needs to happen before the actual walk date. So, get the applications in no later than the stated deadline. Better yet- get pilgrim applications in as soon as possible! Do not wait until almost walk time. Ellen told me that pilgrim applications may be submitted any time to Southern Maryland Emmaus, PO Box 343, White Plains MD When applications are received after the deadline prior to a Walk, it may mean that the pilgrim would not be able to participate in the upcoming walk and may be placed on a waiting list for future walks. Gordon added that you should make sure the application is complete; i.e., the application is filled out completely; it has the sponsor s name, address, and signature; make sure it has the pastor s support with his/her signature on the back. Third question: When do you contact pilgrims and sponsors to let them know that they have been selected for a Walk weekend? Again, Ellen and Gordon agree! The final pilgrim selection list is usually confirmed by the board 4-6 weeks prior to a walk, and pilgrims and sponsors are notified shortly thereafter. Last question: If you could share any helpful suggestions with sponsors, what would it be? Ellen suggested that a sponsor may want to bring a potential pilgrim to a gathering so the pilgrim can experience the Emmaus community in action. Also, it is important that sponsors are aware that we follow the guidelines set out by the Upper Room, and do not make any promises of a pilgrim being on a certain walk on behalf of the community. If a pilgrim is placed on a waiting list, the sponsor should continue to be supportive and give periodic updates to the pilgrim as needed. The sponsor can contact the Registrar or Assistant Registrar for information and updates. Gordon had these suggestions: First, make sure the pilgrim application is complete in all aspects. Second, be available to the potential pilgrim to answer questions and be a calming influence should the potential pilgrim become anxious while awaiting the formal notification from the Registrar that they are going on a specific walk. Ok, so I gave them one more chance to share: Anything else? Second question: When can pilgrim applications be submitted? See Applications page 14 11

12 Walks from page 4 decision helps us move closer to the goal of having a minimum of 20 (and up to 24) pilgrims per Walk, as well as having a pool of pilgrim applications that would provide additional pilgrims to be invited to walk should a spot open up due to another pilgrim not being able to go on a planned weekend just prior to the Walk. The Board s decision was made with the intention of adding Walks in the future as pilgrim application numbers increase. Unfortunately, some community members thought that a big push to bring in more pilgrim applications now could bring back the Fall 2016 Walks. Unfortunately, this is not possible. The timeline for putting together a team for a weekend begins 6 months prior to the Walk. That means that this process for the October 2016 Walks would have started in February. We are past the window of opportunity for Fall 2016 Walks. It is our heart s desire and fervent prayer that in the near future there will be a large enough number of pilgrim applications that will support more than two Walks per year. To do this, we all will need to be prayerful and take action to identify and extend an invitation to those persons around us who would be good candidates for attending a Walk. Remember, Emmaus is not for everyone! Good potential pilgrims include: Church leaders Dependable church members Less active church members who need their commitment renewed Christians who want to grow spiritually Church members and leaders who represent a cross section of the church and help Emmaus remain theologically sound Respected laypersons and clergy whose participation will encourage others to Walk Members of diverse congregations, denominations, and ethnic groups We encourage all community members to consider the issues and concerns that led to this decision, pray, and consider where Christ may be depending on you to be part of the solution to this problem! Let us work together to sponsor pilgrims. Reaching out to local churches, especially those without an Emmaus presence is key! Remember that there is a limit on the number of pilgrims that can be on a Walk from one church- one per table. If you would like to help in this outreach effort, please contact Ellen Bertelsen edbertelsn@gmail.com. 12 Information Update Form available at

13 Sponsorship Being A Disciple Jesus favored the lowly and disadvantaged. He selected men who came from humble roots. Their early studies in the Torah and Prophets hadn t distinguished them enough to be chosen to apprentice under even the lowliest rabbi. Then one day a strange rabbi from Nazareth called out to them and changed their lives and forever changed their hearts. Given God s preference to raise the humble and exalt the lowly, we can understand the religious elite s first impression. Pedigree and wealth were things they highly prized and so it s likely that they scoffed at Christ s choices. We see later that they held Jesus in contempt for choosing such seemingly foolish men to follow him. But if Jesus choices do not humble us, his disciples responses should. When the disciples heard Jesus call them, they immediately left their homes and families to follow him. They were not like the man who asked Jesus permission to go say goodbye to his family first. They were also not like the man who asked for time to bury his father when Jesus called him. They didn t make excuses not to follow him. They put aside what they were doing and followed after him. What is your response when Jesus calls? Will you answer His call? One of the ways we can answer His call and follow Him by being a sponsor of men and women to attend the Walk to Emmaus. The purpose of the Walk is to build up leaders for the church and community exactly the way Jesus started the church by calling people to follow Him. GOOD SPONSORSHIP is vital to the Emmaus Movement, and it is the most important job in Emmaus.. Consider sponsoring those persons who are committed to living a life that is pleasing to God, those who want to grow and increase their knowledge and understanding of God and his will. These include: 1. Church leaders (pastors and laypersons), those serving on committees, outreach programs, anyone participating in the ministries of the church. 2. Couples: Try to get them to go on the same set of walks or back-to-back walks. 3. Sin gle per sons who are ac tive in the church. 4. Less active members who need their awareness of grace rekindled and their commitments renewed. 5. Christians who want to grow spiritually: Wise sponsorship is careful, intentional, prayerful, and purposeful because it results from God s leading. Wisely sponsored pilgrims return to their churches and community renewed in the commitment to be ef fec tive dis ci ples. THIS is the purpose and the mission of Emmaus. If you want to sponsor and feel as if you need assistance, please contact me and I will be happy to assist you. sogilby123@gmail.com Sarah Ogilby Former Assistant Community Lay Director 13

14 Applications from page 11 Gordon mentioned that sponsors should make sure the required attachments are with the application; i.e., the pilgrim fee, a copy of the pilgrim s driver s license; a copy of the pilgrim s medical insurance card. Both Gordon and Ellen emphasized that sponsors and pilgrims should not assume that just because an application has been submitted that the potential pilgrim will be on the next scheduled walk. As stated earlier, guidelines and policies are used to guide the selection process. The potential pilgrim will be formally notified by the Registrar of the specific walk that the pilgrim will be attending about 4-6 weeks before the walk. No one else should promise or inform the pilgrim of being selected for a specific walk. A special thanks to Ellen and Gordon for taking the time to answer these questions and help educate sponsors and community members on the behind the scene details of pilgrim selection! Any further questions can be directed to Ellen at edbertelsn@gmail.com Seated l-r: Sheila Hanson, Jim Risley, Connie Wells Standing: Rev. Laurie Gates-Ward visits our table at the Baltimore/Washington Annual Conference. Leadership from page 1 learned so much each time and re ally en joyed meet ing our Emmaus Broth ers and Sis ters from other places. Board Mem bers are ex pected to at tend at least once dur ing their three-year term and this would be an ex cel - lent op por tu nity that does not re quire ex ten sive travel. The ses sions are not just for the board ev ery one is wel come. This is a great op por tu nity to ex pand your knowl edge and hone your lead er ship abil i ties. It would be great to have two or more people from each church attend!! Please mark your cal en dar and reg is ter as soon as pos - si ble. Clergy are es pe cially in vited for ei ther day. There is no charge to at tend these events, how ever there will be a bas ket for do na tions to cover the cost of food items. Prior reg is tra tion is re quired and may be made by to Pat Brennan at patbrennan@prodigy.net, or phone (301) h, (240) c. Please call if you have ques tions. - Pat Brennan (Co or di na tor for this event) 14

15 Does God Love Me? By Cheryl Merkle we would be back for Closing on Saturday. As we neared my car, I went to turn-off my Flashlight. And that s when I noticed the pop-up on my phone... it read Have you ever asked yourself that question? Does God Love Me? When we fall short of where we think we should be with our piety, study and action (remember the inside of your Service Sheet or the 3-legged stool for the Life in Grace?) or when we sin (and we ALL sin!) it s easy to question whether God can still love us. Recently I received a very plain reminder of God s love for me. On Saturday April 9th, I participated in Candlelight for the Men s Emmaus Walk #53. It was an exceptionally beautiful Candlelight where our Emmaus Community came out to sing and demonstrate God s agape love for the pilgrims and team. As we filed out of that sacred space, we walked out to a very brisk, dark night. I forgot to bring my flashlight to light the path so I launched my free Flashlight app on my Samsung Galaxy. (I m intentionally naming dropping because what I m about to tell you would not have happened on an iphone.) If you ve never downloaded a free app to your phone, let me explain the price you pay for the free app is pop-up advertisements on the screen while you use the app. So, I launched my Flashlight app, and illuminated the path to the parking lot. I was walking with my dear Emmaus friend Bev Raynor and we were chatting about how beautiful Candlelight had been and whether or not Does God Love me? Yes! He loves you deeply and has a plan for you. Learn more here. Wow! I ve often prayed for a sign from God but never did I expect to get one from a pop-up ad in my flashlight app. Bev and I were in complete awe that God could and would speak to us in such a clear manner. I took a picture of the screen using another phone. The image is attached. Incidentally, I did check the website associated with the pop-up ad. It is sponsored by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and presents God s Plan of Salvation. So, the next time you start to question whether God could possibly love you, remember that YES! He loves you deeply and has a plan for you. Of course, there are many scripture passages that come to mind that communicate this message (John 3:16-18) It is also amazing to see how God (and his faithful servants at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association) can use technology to reach out to a world lost in darkness and shine the light of his love! Thinking of Teaming? NOW is the time to sub mit your team ap pli ca tion! We will be form ing the spring 2017 teams early this fall and need YOU. When you sub mit an ap pli ca tion it isn t for a par tic u lar walk but ONLY in di cat ing that you be lieve God has called you to serve on a team, and you have a de sire to serve our com mu - nity in this ca pac ity. If you are se lected for a team and called to serve on a walk, you will be asked to up date your ap pli ca tion on file if any thing has changed since you orig i nally sub mit ted it (church, pas - tor, re union group, etc.). Those with team ap pli ca tions on file will be given pri or ity dur ing team se lec - tion. The Board of Di rec tors re cently passed a new pol icy that team ap pli ca tions will be kept on file for 3 years. How ever, once you serve on a team, a new ap pli ca tion will need to be sub mit ted. Team ap pli ca tions are avail able at the monthly gath er ings or at our website, Com pleted ap pli ca tions can be mailed to South ern Mary land Emmaus, P.O. Box 343, White Plains, MD 20695, or given to Con nie Wells, Team Se lec tion Chair, or Lauren Cahill, As sis tant Team Se lec tion. GOD is counting on YOU! 15

16 Walk in the Light - South ern Mary land Emmaus Visit us on the web at "Were not our hearts burn ing within us while He was speak ing to us on the road, while He was ex plain ing the Scrip tures to us? Luke 24:32 In for ma tion on the South ern Mary land Walk to Emmaus, as well as pil grim and team ap pli ca tions may be found on our website: Southern Maryland Emmaus P.O. Box 343 White Plains, MD Southern Maryland Emmaus Board of Directors 2015 Community Lay Director/Chair - Dale Merkle Assistant Community Lay Director/ Facilities/Sponsorship - Ellen Bertelsen Past Community Lay Director - Pat Brennan Treasurer - Susan Cunningham Secretary/Historian - Lee Campbell Community Spiritual Director. - Ken Valentine Agape Coordinator - Steve Planders Assistant Agape Coordinator - Jim Risley Team Selection - Connie Wells Assistant Team Selection - Lauren Cahill Community Events Coordinator/ Fourth Day Coordinator - Margaret Kolbe Asst. Comm. Events/Reunion Groups - Priscilla Rollins Registrar/Pilgrim Selection - Ellen Bertelsen Assistant Registrar - Gordon Piscacek Communications/Directory - Jan Drass Music Director - Bud Campbell